On a summer day in 1945, an Orthodox man and his grown son return to a village in Hungary while the villagers prepare for the wedding of the town clerk's son. The townspeople – suspicious, remorseful, fearful, and cunning – expect the worst and behave accordingly. The town clerk fears the men may be heirs of the village's deported Jews and expects them to demand their illegally acquired property back.

Director Ferenc Török paints a complex picture of a society trying to come to terms with the recent horrors they’ve experienced, perpetrated, or just tolerated for personal gain. Based on the acclaimed short story "Homecoming" by Gábor T. Szántó.

Director: Ferenc Török

Country: Hungary

Genre: Drama

Year: 2017

Run Time: 01:31:00

imdb Score: 7.5/10 (832 votes)

Language: Hungarian | Russian

Rating: Not Rated

Cast: Péter Rudolf, Bence Tasnádi, Tamás Szabó Kimmel

"The film, directed by Ferenc Török and distributed in North America by Menemsha Films, takes a fascinating look at a European village on an August day in 1945 right after the end of World War II as two Orthodox Jews arrive at the train station with mysterious boxes labeled "fragrances." As the town clerk fears the men may be heirs of the village's deported Jews and expects them to demand back their illegally acquired property which was originally lost during the war, other villagers are afraid more survivors will come and pose a threat to the property and possessions they have claimed as their own."Sergio Carmona - JEWISH JOURNAL

"Simple, powerful, made with conviction and skill, 1945 proceeds as inexorably as Sámuel and his son on their long walk into town. It's a potent messenger about a time that is gone but whose issues and difficulties are not even close to being past."Kenneth Turan - LOS ANGELES TIMES

"Mesmerizing, quietly moving, and enthralling. It's one of the best films of the year."Avi Offer - NYC MOVIE GURU

"Collaborating with DP Elemér Ragályi, Török also invests the movie with strong visual motifs, perhaps most prominently a consistency of shots that peer at characters through everyday barriers (windows, curtains). The resultant sensation of uncomfortable prying underlines the boiling suspicions that power the plot."Danny King - VILLAGE VOICE